Maiken Caspersen Falla wins Olympics women’s cross-country freestyle sprint

SOCHI, Russia -- Maiken Caspersen Falla led a Norwegian double to take gold in the women’s cross-country freestyle sprint at the Sochi Olympics on Tuesday.

Despite pre-race favorite Marit Bjoergen going out in the semifinals, Norway still took the top two spots as Falla proved strongest in the final and Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg narrowly beat Vesna Fabjan of Slovenia in a photo finish for the silver.

Fabjan took bronze, while Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen -- whose brother died on the eve of the Games -- was fourth.

Bjoergen fell on the final straight of her semifinal, while Kikkan Randall of the United States was surprisingly knocked out in the quarterfinals.

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